Monday, June 10, 2013

Garden Glories

So here is my garden update. I do these as much for me to see how our EarthBoxes grow each year as for those of you thinking about EBs.

These are heirloom bush beans that I got from my mother years ago. Heirloom seeds are really neat IF you can harvest them. These make it easy. They produce so much that I forget to pick some of them, they dry out, and voila - seeds.

These are baby cantaloupe. EBs do melons smaller than the store, but WOW are they good. You have never had sweeter fresher melon than one right off the vine from an EB. These melon photos are not exciting now, but they will be as they grow--and pretty too.

These are honeydew - they look the same as the cantaloupe, but they tend to grow faster. These melons are simply amazingly good. There are no other words for them.

These are my monster peppers. I have Carmen peppers and a purple bell and maybe something else that I cannot remember - maybe Anaheim peppers (I really don't remember!) These are huge plants and are up to my armpit. The peppers hanging off of them are long and large.

This is a part of my garden I have cultivated this year. I planted flowers and have allowed the wild mint to grow where I wanted it to grow this year. I have two comfrey plants here as well that are both doing well. It is my little corner oasis. Later in the summer gladiolas will be blooming here. The mint made into tea is delightful.

This is my second zucchini box that I planted about two weeks ago. I have staggered my first (below) with this one so I have zucchini for a while. My son made zucchini bread for us with the giant one we picked (which stalled the production since I missed it) but the bread was, to all accounts, delicious!

This is my astonishingly productive two-types of cucumber plants EB. It is a prolific rewarding EB that we enjoy for months. Last year this box produced around 30 cucumbers! We enjoyed a delicious cucumber salad with red onion salad tonight. :)

These are the two kinds of cucumbers. I have no idea what the lighter ones are since I did not realize I had purchased anything different from the one on the right! They were a light green surprise. They taste the same though, and make a killer salad. :)

This is our first tomato box, coming along very nicely.

There are yellow flowers so this means good stuff is a comin'!

This is my first zucchini - one wild-looking box! This is the one that stalled because I missed ONE zucchini and allowed it to get huge. This will stall a plant, but it has kicked back in and there are baby zucs and new green leaves growing now under the old sun-damaged ones. Yay!

This is my raised be that is not an EB. :) I am growing marjoram, savory, oregano, basil, chamomile, and green onions in this. The savory is ready to pick and dry and the basil is ready to clip and make into pesto!

This is my newest EB with Roma tomatoes nicely coming along. These are courtesy of seed growth from Lady Charlotte. I think they are determinate so they will all ripen at once. That should be fun! :)

EBs make it possible for us to grow some of our own food. Our soil is very poor and the Bermuda grass is horrible. I feel like my thumb can actually be green because of them. :) (And no, I don't get paid a single dime from EB for all my blogging about them!)

I just realized that Amazon carries these and can ship them to me- SCORE. They would be perfect for our balcony, and it looks like in theory I could bring them in for the winter, although I'd need a sun lamp or something with the way Germany is. Do you think they are sturdy enough to handle military moves? As in, can I dump out the dirt, and take them with me, or are they going to need to be a one duty station (or one growing season?) investment only? Thanks for sharing about them!

Yes, they can be dumped out and moved (and reused). I love them. They are incredibly sturdy and we have used them for years and years in the hot California sun. They show no signs of breaking down and are easy to move once empty. :)

About Me

How does one define themselves? I am a Christian wife, mother, homeschooler, and an independent reviewer. There are so many hats I wear it is hard to narrow it down.

I love sound reformed theology, the study of our logical God in the world around us, the study of HIStory, creation, and the beauty God gives us. I believe in the mercy of a loving Savior. I believe He went to the cross for my sins--and for those who turn to Him in repentance! I am constantly amazed by His goodness.

I can't believe I get to be a mother to five amazing children. They continually astonish me by the people they are, and as they get older, it only gets better. I have the best and most devoted husband in the world.

I am blessed. I rejoice in His mercy! Thank you for visiting my little place on the web--all are welcome here.